Cleveland’s ALCS Game 4 against Tampa Bay won’t begin until 8:08 p.m. Friday, after Major League Baseball pushed the start back from its original 6 p.m. slot at Progressive Field.
The league’s decision came after the Dodgers were eliminated from the National League Championship Series on Thursday, clearing a prime-time TV window. Weather remains part of the picture, too, with rain forecast throughout Friday in Northeast Ohio and the possibility of delays or even a postponement still hanging over the game.
The Guardians, meanwhile, revealed their pitching plan: right-hander Shawn Armstrong will open against Tampa Bay’s Nick Martinez. It’s another sign of how Cleveland has leaned into bullpen flexibility this postseason, and Armstrong has earned the trust. He’s given up only one hit in 5 1/3 innings in October while striking out five, often showing up in the biggest spots.
His path here hasn’t been smooth. A strained calf put him on the injured list and nearly ended his season in late July, something Armstrong admitted felt dire at the time.
“You guys could probably read the room with the look on my face after that that I thought it was over,” Armstrong said Thursday. “I mean, for sure.”
Now he’ll open an ALCS game against one of his former clubs, and he’s made it clear Cleveland’s bullpen doesn’t get caught up in labels or inning numbers.
“No one cares where we throw,” Armstrong said. “I don’t care if it’s second.
I don’t care if it’s ninth. I don’t care.
And neither does anybody else in that bullpen.”
He added that the group has bought fully into the idea that every pitch matters, no matter when it comes.
“Every out’s a big out for us,” Armstrong said. “So regardless for the second, or Cade’s going out for a three-inning save, whatever it may be, every out means something.”
Cleveland enters Friday with a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series after Thursday’s 3-2 win in Game 3. Petey Halpin’s two-run homer in the fifth inning provided the turning point, and Gavin Williams kept rolling with another strong outing. The Guardians are now two wins away from their first World Series trip since 2016.
Williams struck out nine in five innings, giving him 33 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings this postseason. Cleveland’s staff limited Tampa Bay to three hits and struck out 13 batters in Game 3, pushing the team’s postseason strikeout total to 102 through eight games. That’s the most any team has ever piled up through its first eight playoff games, topping the previous mark of 100.
Manager Stephen Vogt said Thursday that the weather uncertainty forced the club to keep its pitching plans flexible. He waited to announce a starter after Game 3 while the team worked through its options.
“With the game just ending and with the uncertainty tomorrow, we need to kind of work through some things,” Vogt said. “We should have a starter announced soon.”
Friday’s late start is the latest shuffle in a series already affected by the weather. Game 3 was moved up to 1 p.m. Thursday to dodge rain, and still 30,101 fans showed up at Progressive Field.
The Guardians have now won five of their last six postseason games after dropping their first two against Chicago in the ALDS. They’ll try to grab a 3-1 series lead Friday before Saturday’s scheduled Game 5.
Vogt isn’t letting the uncertainty rattle his club.
“It is what it is, we stay ready,” Vogt said. “We’re going to be prepared to play whatever time, whatever place. So our guys stay ready.”
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Guardians Put Their Trust In A Risky ALCS Game 4 Plan
Rain has already pushed back Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, but the delay only adds another layer to a night Cleveland was preparing to approach in a different way. With a 2-1 series lead over Tampa Bay, the Guardians were set to turn to a bullpen game, with Shawn Armstrong lined up as the opener in a plan that asks a lot from the staff and gives the series a different look at a critical moment.
Tanner Bibee sounded comfortable with the arrangement before the game, pointing to the confidence the Guardians have in their pitching group. It is the kind of move teams usually reserve for a spot where they believe the matchups and depth can hold up, but it also leaves little margin if the game turns into a long grind once the tarp comes off and the first pitch finally gets thrown. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Turn To Unconventional Game 4 Plan With ALCS Momentum Rising
With Cleveland up two games to one in the American League Championship Series, the next step in this matchup is coming with a twist. The Guardians announced Shawn Armstrong will open Game 4 before handing things off to a bulk reliever, a setup that reflects how confidently the pitching plan is being managed as the series shifts back to Cleveland. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, is set to counter with Nick Martinez in Friday nights game, scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
It is the kind of postseason decision that can change quickly if the weather gets involved, too. Rain is in the forecast, which adds another layer of uncertainty to a game already carrying plenty of weight for the Guardians, who have a chance to push their momentum even further on home turf. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Bullpen Outlook Just Shifted Around Colin Holderman
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Holderman had already been sidelined for the past month with the injury, and the timeline now stretches much farther than a short-term fix. The expectation is that he will be ready for the 2027 season and spring training, which gives the Guardians plenty of time to adjust in the meantime but also leaves a sizable gap in the bullpen picture until then. [Read more 🡒]